Aamir Khan to start work on a seven part Mahabharata series
thanks to Marcus..
“While Aamir Khan’s latest release has opened to mixed reviews from the audiences, he’s not letting that stop him from starting his next big project. All set to work on a seven part long web series, Mahabharata, Aamir will be flying down to the USA to ideate on the project and bring it to life.”
for more follow the link…
SATYAMSHOT 
November 11, 2018 at 7:17 AM
Think this is a vastly better idea than doing a 2 part film or something. Also it will be ‘politically’ more feasible as well.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:21 AM
This is web series not regular one.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:23 AM
I know. But so much is these days. More likely than not there will be competition between Netflix and Amazon to pick it up. And I’m happy because I think the integrity of the project can be better maintained this way.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:22 AM
I don’t believe this is official. But this would be fantastic if true. A very aggressive decision and a big risk but fingers crossed this is true.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:23 AM
Will this be for Netflix or Amazon? Or is he planning to start his own OTT channel?
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:27 AM
could be..
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:52 AM
though both Amazon and Netflix would offer big money for it.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:25 PM
He has an open offer from Netflix to something with them on his own terms.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:52 AM
this is a bizarre announcement….i dont think aamir will do MB which is restricted only to web-audience….it has to be a film or a long TV-soap
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 8:00 AM
‘Firangi In Engleeshthan’ – now crack the TOH code guyz!
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 8:04 AM
that can be made at a budget of 10-15 cr 🙂 with some Goa-beach as a backdrop and starring Varun Dhawan-Naseeruddin kind of casting and Mouny Roy or Sakshi Tiwari as female lead….:-) bus paise banao YRF – thugs of bollywood 😉
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 8:09 AM
Firangi in China.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:25 PM
Nope.
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 10:18 PM
Cracking the TOH code …
************
Some fans have talked about Amitabh in TOH and how its a tribute to his peak imagery that has been lost in time. A few Aamir fans have said Firangi is a ‘fun’ character and that Aamir had a ball doing this. There is no doubt that he did, not at least to those who has actually seen this film. But thats not all …
I have loved this character (seen it 2 times in theatres already and will eagerly wait for it to some on netflix/prime for more viewings). Its not that you can resist laughing WITH him and AT him, the ‘duplicity’ in this double-crossing ‘thug’ quite amusingly represents Aamir in Bollywood over last 20 years.
For every Sarfarosh he has always backtracked with a Mela. There was MP following Lagaan, Fanaa after RDB, Ghajini after TZP, DG after 3I (!), D3 after Talaash and son and so forth. After he reached a crescendo with Dangal’s success all over, he selected to do TOH with YRF/Acharya gang!
In short, he has been double-crossing his different set of audience all through these years and everyone had accepted it passively. Till TOH released …
With the overall backlash and nil acceptance of TOH, this will hopefully be the end of his Firangi-ness in his project selection. Khudabaksh puts it aptly that he can sense a ‘restless’-ness in Firangi and hoped to make him truly free (Azaad!). I guess he may truly succeed in this. The MB decision is the right direction (no matter what results such a huge project will yield).
Bye bye Masala. Bye bye Firangi.
PS – Trolls are encouraged, coz its all for a greater good (of Aamir).
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 11:05 PM
There is an introductory scene of Firangi, after double crossing a maharaja, a bunch of thugs and then the brits (with a grandma dying story) he proudly goes off sitting on a donkey (that he proudly calls his master – a dethroned Nawab) wearing a ridiculous hat and a pair of red goggles.
The scene is gleefully edited with Firangi’s donkey taking one step forward, then one step backward. Its a hilarious representation with an apt bgm … and is more allegorical than Amitabh’s physically impressive swashbuckling gig at 75.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 12:57 AM
And its not done in a way to demean anyone. Its much more self-deprecating humor than MNJ or KKP. At one point his reluctant side-kick tells him that either he is ‘mahaan’ or a ‘chutiya’. Firangi coolly retorts back claiming he is a ‘mahaan chutiya’. He literally kills it by winking at his audience for 3 fun-filled hours.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 1:09 AM
And during my second viewing i felt that showing a mirror to all his diverse audience was perhaps the primary reason behind such extreme backlash uniformly from all quarters …
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 3:52 AM
Krishna is a lot more Machiavellian character in MB than Firangi. No way he can play such a character in any other platform than a netflix web series.
Looking at the Indian response to SS and TOH, i dont think its wise to invest a lot of money to make a MB film with Aamir as Krishna. Unless one dumbs it down … but then the essence of the story itself will vaporize.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 5:51 AM
I am quite intrigued to know how masala fans wud react to see a ‘desi masala film’ where Arjuna defeats Bhishma using Shikhandi as a shield (as advised by Krishna), Krishna emotionally brainwashing Arjuna (by citing Abhimanyu’s death) to unethically slaughter Karna (when the latter had requested a pause in battle) or Bheema defeating Duryodhana on final day by sheer cheating (again as advised by ‘God’ Krishna) …
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 6:11 AM
Marcus, you are not giving due credit to Masala cinema. Masala doesn’t imply that one can’t be duplicitous. Nor does it prohibit fun and frolic. But notice, even in the context of the Mahabharat, Krishna isn’t a buffoon. There are deaths and there are consequences for his actions. The emotional core runs deeper. Much deeper. Masala registers that are used superficially result in superficial films. Take David Dhawan or Farah Khan for instance (although David Dhawan is vastly superior to Farah Khan in every way). Or any recent Salman Khan film — that’s all lowbrow masala.
When one aims for something higher than just lowbrow masala, there has to be a certain amount of seriousness involved. There has to be a strong emotional hook. You get that through a highly loved character’s death — you can see that in Ghajini, Khakee, Sholay, Deewar — any great masala film of yore. That keeps the audience involved. Otherwise one shouldn’t even involve a revenge story in the script. That’s why ToH misses the mark. It tries to marry a Hollywood fantasy-adventure formula with pure Desi revenge-fueled masala. That’s an unhappy marriage right from the get-go. The film tries to do everything (please everyone) and ends up doing nothing — nothing really well at least.
LikeLiked by 2 people
November 14, 2018 at 7:40 AM
Even a stylist like Tarantino knows this — Kill Bill part 1 is all about style. It’s fun, but it’s quite an empty film. Kill Bill part 2 has a completely different tone. It’s more serious, contemplative and full of grit. That’s why the split is desirous. You either make a fun film or a serious one. To combine the two together requires a fine balancing act. One that Viktor clearly is not a master of.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 6:27 AM
Even then one can NEVER emotionally connect to a character like Krishna (whether depicted in a serious avatar or a more notorious ‘natkhat’ avatar). You can perhaps connect with Pandavas or the Karna character emotionally in a masala setting (lowbrow or highbrow) with all their history and value for righteousness and other angles romped up properly by a director of Rajamouli’s caliber. Krishna’s actions are not so black or white and will never connect in your masala setting.
Anyways, in TOH the emotional connect for revenge angle had to be with Fatima’s character. But it never happens to due to Acharya’s lacking and Fatima’s poor acting. Even SS suffered with similar lack of connection with the lead girl due to more aggressive and one-dimensional characterisation.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 6:36 AM
Revenge angle was 2 fold. Firangi realises his actions consequently led to Bachchan’s death – he feels guilty and must step up to avenge for his own mistakes and in doing so he also defends Fatima with the ‘ideals’ Bachchan left behind for him OR Fatima plays a more protagonist role. She could also learn of Firangi’s deceitfulness (I actually expected this to play out in 2nd half) where the English inform the Thugs that Firangi is the reason for Bachchan’s ultimate demise and this could have led to any number of outcomes. Fatima and Firangi fighting or Firangi proving his ‘oneself’ by taking on the British as a way of redeeming himself with the Thugs or dieing himself.
Bachchan coming back was a bad surprise for me, not in tune with expectations. Now surprises can be good or bad – this was a blunder and like popping a balloon.
Ps it would be wtf moment if Akshay’s character emerged in the climax in Khakee. The surprise or shock here is one of the best ‘turns’ of mine in Hindi cinema period i.e Aishwarya’s ‘turn’ to bad or in wrestling terms her ‘heel’ turn.
LikeLiked by 2 people
November 14, 2018 at 6:45 AM
If Bollywood directors even followed script writing from WWF wrestling in mid/late 90’s to early 00’s they’d make a killing. That company staged some amazing mandrama.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 7:12 AM
Ps it would be wtf moment if Akshay’s character emerged in the climax in Khakee. The surprise or shock here is one of the best ‘turns’ of mine in Hindi cinema period i.e Aishwarya’s ‘turn’ to bad or in wrestling terms her ‘heel’ turn.
Absolutely!
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 6:33 AM
“Even then one can NEVER emotionally connect to a character like Krishna (whether depicted in a serious avatar or a more notorious ‘natkhat’ avatar). ”
Marcus- you have no clue what you just said. 🙂
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 6:54 AM
Firangi asked Khudabaksh to not sacrifice himself. In fact he explicitly states that he betrayed him and then saved his life. So they are now quits as per him. He has no qualms or guilt regarding Khudabaksh sacrificing himself. But since Khudabaksh requests him to save Zafira, he obliges cause he perhaps felt responsible for putting her in danger with his betrayal. Once he saves her, he wants to leave the thugs and move on. But has a change of heart when the brits attack their hideout. Why shud he suddenly become a shahenshah like messiah? It makes no sense.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 7:17 AM
There are symbolic moments for Firangi throughout. When he’s ploughing the fields for growth finally something grows. He should be reminded of what he has done in these instances. Instead his tact is deceit throughout. Once the kingdom is won back he should be looting it! In other words he is a one dimensional unstable character throughout. But because his character is deceitful it’s fun and predictably fun till a point when the ‘penny’ should drop.
As much as I can see your logic it needs to follow through right till the end then. He should never be a good guy. Why poison the British? Why help Bachchan or Fatima? If he’s such a loose cannon he should just be like this till he dies. The ultimate end is saving the kingdom but dieing too. As I think this is more masala logic here.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 7:33 AM
Not really. Once he has a change of heart he takes zafira to surraiya and together they plot to kill clyve during dussehra festivities. But when he finds out that khudabaksh is alive he pretends to side with brits so that he can give them an advantage which he clearly explains later. When the time comes he saves Khudabaksh and the thugs finally defeat the brit. Once that jobs done he wants to move on cause he has another dream to fulfill- Firangi in Engleeshthan! So no surprise that he is planning MB with Netflix next.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 7:55 AM
A character explaining what he done, why they did it doesn’t justify a films narrative.
Lagaan/3 Idiots – Aamir is already a headstrong character, the rest is about getting others there.
DCH/RDB – Akash/DJ are like Firangi. They are quite immature but in these 2 films the crisis in their lives changes them.
Fanaa – Rehan never really changes but watching his dilemma in second half is worth its nickle and dime, ultimately he dies via gunshot
If TOH was meant to be some experiment with a masala template it could easily have been done without a 200Cr budget over its head. But in this universe Firangi can never be taken seriously at any point. All great masala films have a point in the narrative when a character will learn something that changes that character’s arc. Here Firangi just carries on even in serious moments to be Firangi.
LikeLiked by 2 people
November 14, 2018 at 8:24 AM
TOH is more hollywood at its core (specially Firangi’s characterization) than any regular masala troupe that most are used to. I guess it was bound to face the backlash the way it did. Whats completely logical in a typical hollywood script can unsettle the indian audience due to their ‘set’ expectations. That way TOH is perhaps as big a disappointment as Taran is shouting for last few days.
I am saying this because I know Jay is a genuine Aamir fan.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 8:33 AM
This I agree with. And to Saket’s dismay this is probably why Kashyap films don’t really work or Rumi didn’t for me LOL. But as they are in the main small budget experimental films it’s fine. In a full blown masala epic this was not the requirement – I think you do what it says on the tin especially when it’s top billing and crores are at stake.
Ps I enjoyed Firangi too. It’s one heck of fun character and as per acting it I think Aamir’s done really well. The one liners as you point out are hilarious.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 10:34 AM
Kashyap doesn’t make masala films though. His films are a curious mix of world cinema and native Bollywood (masala) registers. I really like his sense of humor — it’s dark, irreverent and caustically funny. And compared to others, he genuinely cares about his characters. It helps that he was a script writer before becoming a director and his directorial craft is just top-notch.
Even in Manmarziyan, there’s a scene where both Robbie and Rumi are drunk and they mouth off all the cliched Bollywood lines (Tum Nahin Samjhoge Rahul…Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and then Robbie corrects her — Rahul nahin Robbie; Gaaon Waalon; Mukhtar Singh etc). He’s not making fun of Bollywood. He’s referencing it in a way that suggests he likes these aspects of Bollywood but he can’t quite fit them into his films. At least organically. But I very well understand that his films are not for everyone. He doesn’t use mainstream stars; shies away from popular (or populist) subjects and regularly tries to subvert genre tropes. His films are unsettling, first and foremost.
I’m not snob enough to look down at masala cinema while enjoying Kashyap’s brand of film-making. There’s nothing quite like a well-made masala film. Done right, it gets the heart soaring, lips smiling and one’s body ripe with emotion. Unfortunately, it’s a lost art in Bollywood. What we get is half-baked attempts with an eye on generating quick bucks. It needs a rooted director to pull it off — a breed that’s rarer than the fabled unicorn, in present day Bollywood.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 11:04 AM
Agree especially with last paragraph. Seems a lost skill.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 1:44 PM
what a wonderful comment Saket..
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 3:09 PM
Thanks, Satyam. And by the way, I think it’s already later in the week. You ought to have watched ToH by now!
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 4:14 PM
ha! true!
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 8:26 AM
Saket – I dont agree that Aamir has to do it the ‘Tarantino Way’. He is free to do what he likes. He will probably not be making much money out this one, but that is his problem not mine.
I enjoyed Firangi.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 2:56 PM
“He will probably not be making much money out this one, but that is his problem not mine. I enjoyed Firangi.”
As per reports Aamir is not making anything from TOH as well. He was into profit sharing and if YRF don’t make profit he won’t get much. He just got some base payment prior to shooting and that appears to all.
Aamir’s method of working is very good until you dish out a disaster and you earn nothing from it.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 8:08 AM
Is this topic just to cheat Master and company?
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 8:16 AM
If it is true then he should play Shakuni mama in keeping in line with Firangi. He likes such shady characters nowadays.
Hope he will not cast Kat or Fatty as Draupadi.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 8:19 AM
but he plays flute in couple of scenes in TOH, that was a kind of hint??
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 8:20 AM
Double role!
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 9:46 AM
That’s what I thought Sanjana and mentioned in my previous post. He will perfectly fit in to the shoes of Shakuni. He should offer Dussasana to Salman and Shikhandi to Sharukh. That will be heck of a casting.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 10:08 AM
Aamir as Shakuni, Salman as Duryodhana, SRK as Dushasana and KJo as Shikhandi for the Kaurava Sena!
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 11:01 AM
True. I forgot this KJO guy. He is a natural for Shikhandi.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 10:41 AM
Perfect.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 11:12 AM
Not sure about this still but I thing good is that all directors can work at sametime and all the 7 parts can be shot/overlapped and can be wrapped up in less than 4-5 years.
This is on the lines of Siddharth Roy Kapoor who gave this reason when he left Rakesh Sharma’s biopic. That he’s making something which is important for Indian cinema and that will take next 5 to 10 years of his time and want to move into that right away and not delay another 2 years for this biopic.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 5:27 PM
Not excited and don’t think this is correct.
It’s too early for Aamir to try this.
A full fledged cinema…YES. I am all for it and am confident Aamir would ace it in whatever role he plays.
LikeLiked by 2 people
November 11, 2018 at 5:43 PM
I’m with you Naveen on this development.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 11, 2018 at 6:36 PM
I loved your comment on the ToH Box office – part 3.
My comments are not going in that thread, so mentioning it here.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 6:40 PM
Thanks Naveen.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 6:16 PM
My comments are getting spammed in the other thread, hence not appearing (looks like definition of smap is when you post less) 🙂
I am pasting here.
My analysis of things going wrong with big star’s movies in 2019.
Race3, ToH, 2point0, Zero – These are the big films by the big four and to their fans each movie can be considered as bigger than the others.
Each has/had a potential to do atleast 300 Cr All India collections, though few would argue saying one is bigger over other, but we can settle that atleast these are the biggest movies of 2019.
Two has already floundered and i will stick my neck out and say that the other two is in danger.
Race 3 had everything riding for it. A brand quite popular among the youth, songs, etc. But the movie was billed as the biggest movie in the Race series. Salman hyped it himself by sharing pics and scenes from the shoot. When the audience found it disappointing, they junked it after a huge weekend. The disappointment became hatred in no time the movie tanked. It being a pre-Eid release gave the 2nd day a fillip…but the fact is movie was not liked at all. Salman’s brand got further damaged after the forgettable Tubelight.
Thugs of Hindostan
With ToH the warning bells came much earlier.
This is the second time production and marketing team of Aamir gave a different perception to the audience.
First time it was with Secret Superstar when the movie was projected as a fun, inspiring musical for school teenagers. The movie was actually disappointing though not bad. But it was indeed shocking..kind of Maggi tasted like half cooked Top Ramen. So it did not get the backlash as it was not that bad. But still the warning signal was all there. Indians dont give a shoot if it later became blockbuster in China. No one changed their perception of disappointment. But this was surely an alarm bell.
With ToH, the same continued. The movie was projected as the biggest hindi movie and Aamir himself compared it with Pirates of C. These sort of gimmicks usually get a colossal opening but the expectations are raised to alarming level. If those expectations are met then the movie zooms to a different box office zone as we saw with few. However if the movie is not even half of it then severe backlash happens. Even if the movie in isolation would not be bad (Top Ramen is loved by few) one will feel cheated if sold with a different narrative. ToH suffered from this projection.
2point0
Such obscene budget projection can boomerang as we saw with 2point0 teaser. If not projected and hyped, people will just dislike it. But because 2point0 guys projected it as India’s biggest, everyone just hated it. Indians felt insulted as we pride ourselves in launching the Mars mission at one tenth of the cost of Gravity’s production cost.
The hatred was evident everywhere. There were 100s of memes and the teaser was a colossal flop. Never before i had seen memes on just a teaser release. The trailer was reasonably well received but the warning bell is still on. 2point0 is being projected as India’s pride from Tamil nadu. This is hyping to the moon. If 2point0 is even an inch lower than the endhiran movie then the disappointment will turn to hatred.
Zero
SRK has the knack to hype up things and take things personally (recent tweet reply to Ritesh Deshmukh is an example). He will play the gimmick of fighting for theatres with Simbaa and create unnecessary controversy. Then the movie will be projected to be the best SRK movie ever. Yo..the hype gets built, fans get excited and they go with an expectation. So beware here!!
2 down, 2 to go. 2point 0.
My suggestion – Keep the hype low. Be quiet. Surprise.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 6:25 PM
No one changed their perception of disappointment.
You might want to check out the IMDB rating for Secret Superstar, Naveen. It’s one thing to be personally disappointed with a film — it’s completely another to deny the overall consensus.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 11, 2018 at 6:33 PM
Saket, you have shown a completely new character…i am happy.
On the disappointment..i again say..it is more to do with the expectation.
SS was projected to be another movie than it was. Hence the disappointment.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 6:35 PM
Saket, you have shown a completely new character
Yes, I’m the new Firangi Mallah…!
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 11, 2018 at 6:27 PM
And in my humblest opinion, Race 3 should only be compared to Mithun Chakraborty’s Gunda.
That’s the kind of reputation it’s going to enjoy in the future. Mark my words!
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 6:34 PM
Well noone has any problem with opinions and this is yours.
Mark my words! – These are dangerous lines to say as noone knows what will happen.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 6:37 PM
Very good, logical and sincere summation on the year’s biggest movies & the reasons behind the 2 already massive failures and the likely scenario on the next 2, Naveen. I hope that 2.0 and Zero doesn’t go the same route as the other 2 but the points you have raised are real and possible; so until both of them hit the bull’s eye, any scenario is likely.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 6:39 PM
Delete the duplicate comment Munna/Satyam.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 6:49 PM
Thanks Myselfaamir.
I am no longer in favour of over hyped movies. These are dangerous territories.
2point0 has been hyped by Rajni, Akshay, Rehmaan, Resul, Shankar, producer, spot boy, assistants, etc and there is a sense of making this equivalent to Baahubali from Tamil Cinema. Aspirations are good to have as it makes people to push the envelope. But then tom tomming about it is unnecessary. Its like that boy who says i will come first in the next exam. Or the SRK of 90s saying i am the best actor. Anyway, damage is already done for 2point0. It surely has excited me to the moon. Because such prospects sounds brilliant, esp when your favourite star tell you. But thats when a star also loses a fan. So Akshay should be ready!
Zero so far is alright but i am afraid of SRK syndrome. Let Anand Rai do all the talking. SRK should be quiet.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 11:56 PM
I will never underestimate Shankar.. he can deliver for sure. The trailor has been received decently. My worry is that his sensibilities might not work outside south…we have seen this before even with nayak which was a frame to frame copy of mudhalvan but didnt work… and the budget of movie is too huge now for 2.0 to afford a bad performance outside south….I think it needs atleast close to 200cr in north assuming it really does well in its traditional markets seeing the budget…
Zero will have its.own set of issues too..you correctly mention srk as one of it..as long as Anand rai has made a Anand rai movie keeping srk in control it will be fine..but if it is like diwlale where rohit shetty made neither a rohit movie nor a srk movie it will sink..and zero will sink fastest as it has competition with kgf, aquaman and maybe even simmba…so it is looking indeed like a year of small.movies doing really well…
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 1:14 AM
The real Naveen turned up, I knew he was somewhere
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 1:48 AM
Nice try, lets see if it can have the desired effect. Guess it works with your own kid …
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:29 PM
Hehe … feeling sorry for the idiot ranking system and rankers. Now they cant include Aamir in lists that he was way above anyways …
Hype is always a double-edged sword but here its only one of many reasons for the disaster or celebration (depending on which pole one belongs to).
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:38 PM
Franfly i have been feeling sorry for you since last one week.
Why don’t you take a break. You seem sick.
I am concerned.
You have been fuming toxic.
Have been cyber bullying people around.
From “I know all smarty pants” you have become “I abuse all”
Why man? 🙂
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:42 PM
Just celebrate your once in a lifetime moment without even knowing what you are talking about. I can bet you have not seen the film, going by your history.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 7:46 PM
I am talking about you. I have not seen you, that’s correct.
But my concern is based on your behaviour.
You need to be a bit reflective here. I am pointing you out because you are continuously in a bad mood.
You need to be happy as you used to be. If not happy at least become respectful.
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 12:15 AM
Just remembered, there is a Urmila’s movie – Pyaar tune kya kiya. She gets the shock of her life when Fardeen instead of hugging her slaps at the end of the movie. She gets mentally unstable and housed in mental hospital.
So, big shocks can lead to disturbing behavior. It is expected though I hope no one goes through that pain.
Naveen, your advice is very good and it should be taken in true spirit and hope some members come out of this shock and trauma of TOH!
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 12:17 AM
At long last Naveen has found the support that he has desperately looking for in this blog.
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 1:01 AM
जब तक हम ज़ख़्मी ना होंगे ,, हम विकसित नहीं हो सकते
जब तक हम असफल ना होंगे ,, तब तक हम कुछ जान नहीं पाएँगे
जब तक हम हारेंगे नहीं ,, तब तक हम कुछ प्राप्त नहीं कर पाएँगे
क्यूँकि जीवन की प्रतिक्रिया , जीवन के कुछ पाठ , हम तभी सीख पाएँगे , जब हमें दर्द होगा
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 9:11 PM
SCOOP: Salman Khan POSTPONES Dabangg 3 to 2020
Sources close to the film have informed that Salman Khan does not want to take any chance as far as the script of the movie is concerned and is leaving no stone unturned to make sure that it is watertight. He seems to have instructed his team to work hard on the script as the current box office trend is all about good content rather than massive starcast and a holiday release.
The source reveals that Salman is getting cautious from the way big ticket movies like Jab Harry Met Sejal, Tubelight, Race 3 and Thugs Of Hindostan have suffered and does not want to take further risk with Dabangg 3.
It is now clear that masses do not want the script of the film to be compromised, despite the big star cast and grand production value. Also it is interesting to note that movies like Badhaai Ho and Stree have become hits this year. Insiders claim that Salman Khan wants to make sure the script is good and therefore is not eyeing for the 2019 Christmas release.
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 9:13 PM
This herd mentality of bollywood is industry.
When Baahubali 2 made records, announcements were galore with mega budget productions.
Now with ToH tanking, budgets are being worked upon and focus on script is asked.
I mean why can’t we have focus on scripts in big budget feature films?
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 11:08 PM
With Salman, I am not sure we are going to get a water-tight script or a script that was dipped in a tight-lid jar full of water..
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 9:15 PM
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/akshay-kumar-badals-summoned-in-connection-with-punjab-sacrilege-cases-1945728
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 11:49 PM
Aamir should do a movie not waste years on a web series etc. Who even watches Netflix etc outside cities?
LikeLike
November 11, 2018 at 11:49 PM
Some other stuff Netflix recently unveiled related to india:
https://www.republicworld.com/entertainment-news/others/after-sacred-games-success-netflix-india-announces-8-new-projects-with-bollywood-big-wigs-backing-them
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 12:02 AM
Trolls should be restricted to spam only TOH thread number ‘n’ by mods (already 1300 comments in them). What a mess here for Satyam …
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 12:11 AM
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 12:16 AM
Thanks for proving my point …
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 12:29 AM
Marcus seriously what’s gotten over you? Hope you realize that you are the only troll out here and I am.sure.you can do much better than this…
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 12, 2018 at 12:40 AM
He is just burnt badly and not understanding how to face this situation which was never even dreamed by any Aamir fan. Even after 1st day bad review, he started laughing at everyone that how we are fools who don’t understand boxoffice or WOM and kept repeating it’ll do easily 300 crores. Then after watching, he kept showing the condescending tone that it’ll do 400 crores. Once all that claims have crashed and now he has nowhere to hide his face, he calls others trolls as he has nothing to reply to anyone and if he has anything, its just abusive language.
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 12:51 AM
Trolls cant understand that this misfire does not matter that much. It did not take a raone to end srk. It went till jhms.
If this had worked to some extent aamir may have not taken this decision to go all out on making mb which at least i have been waiting for. If this made 500 or even 400, aamir wud have been in double mind and not taken the web-series decision so fast. I am rather pleased with the outcome (satyam did not post my comment with which i shared this link … probably for troll’s sake). But i am sure he too is enjoying this event of resident nuns having a public orgy.
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 1:03 AM
तिनका कबहुँ ना निन्दिये, जो पाँवन तर होय,
कबहुँ उड़ी आँखिन पड़े, तो पीर घनेरी होय।
अर्थ: कबीर कहते हैं कि एक छोटे से तिनके की भी कभी निंदा न करो जो तुम्हारे पांवों के नीचे दब जाता है। यदि कभी वह तिनका उड़कर आँख में आ गिरे तो कितनी गहरी पीड़ा होती है !
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 12:59 AM
When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.
जब हम किसी अवस्था को देखने का नज़रिया बदलते हैं ; तब जिस अवस्था को हम देख रहे हैं , वो अवस्था बदल जाती है
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 8:17 PM
Which is your worst Aamir Khan film?
Mela
Thugs Of Hindostan
Secret Superstar
Talaash
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 8:19 PM
Please chose only one. If it is different, please specify.
The above 4 names are not my choices…just few titles which may not be bad movies per se.
LikeLike
November 12, 2018 at 8:27 PM
1. Daulat Ki Jung
We bet Aamir would do anything to erase all memories of this movie where he almost, sort of went the star-crossed lovers route again by romancing the daughter of his father’s arch rival, which gets you thinking. Do we even have arch rivals anymore? If today a prominent businessman’s son fell in love with his rival’s daughter, that would actually be seen as a golden opportunity for a merger. Not some archaic parivar ka naak kata diya bullshit.
2. Jawani Zindabad
Even the name makes you cringe, doesn’t it? Would you ever guess from the title of the movie that it’s about the dowry practice in India? Nothing like naming your movie like a C-grade soft porno movie running in rundown local theatres to get an important social message across to the masses.
3. Awwal Number
What is the one thing that pretty much every Indian loves to watch? That’s right, cricket. And what is the one thing that pretty much every human being in the world hates? That’s right, terrorists. Now put those two together and you have Awwal Number, which is a movie you’ll hate and you’ll love and just won’t be able to ignore.
4. Parampara
A confusing plot where wealthy thakurs fight with local gypsies, that culminates in a gun draw and shootout on top of a hill, Wild, Wild West-style, people die, marry, and die again a lot in this movie. It’s hard to keep track after a time.
5. Dhoom 3
We thought Aamir had moved past all the mistakes of the teen years of his career, and made a mark for himself for making much better movies like Taare Zameen Par, Lagaan, Rang De Basanti, Sarfarosh, etc. But then how can you explain off Dhoom 3, which is not only the worst movie in the nonsensical Dhoom franchise, but it also belies our beliefs that Aamir reads the scripts of movies before signing up for them.
6. Love Love Love
The usual poor boy meets rich girl, poor boy then proceeds to fall in love with rich girl, gundas, villains, fights, blood, blah blah, punctuated by bad 80’s disco music – there is nothing that redeems this movie. Aamir, what were you thinking.
7. Mann
Let it be known that nobody, not even the legendary method actor Aamir Khan, is beyond working in movies that are a direct ripoff Hollywood films. Exhibit A – Mann, which is copied almost frame-by-frame from the Hollywood movie An Affair To Remember. Tsk tsk, Aamir.
8. Tum Mere Ho
This iconic Aamir Khan movie released in the 90’s is actually set in a time a 100 years before, where child marriage, snake charming, and black magic were still a norm of the land, and so was beating your woman when she pissed you off. There is a lot of bullshit going on in this movie, which is immortalized by the now super-popular Pretentious Movie Review of this movie.
9. Mela
What was touted as THE Bollywood masala action blockbuster jizzfest of the new century, was pretty much the worst film ever and Aamir’s biggest career mistake. The movie actually backfired so much that Aamir ended up imprisoning his brother Faizal, who was a co-star in Mela, on the grounds of his mental instability
10 Secret Superstar
The movie was promoted as the inspiring musical of a teenager. The movie turned out exactly the opposite and couldn’t sustain after a decent start. The movie backfired in India but became a blockbuster in China as it was promoted as a social film and correctly so.
11. Thugs of Hindostan
This was touted as Hindi cinema’s answer to India very best Baahubali 2 and coming together of the two iconic actors – Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan. The movie is seeing one of the worst trending ever and could go down in the ranks of Roop Ki Rani which sank the careers of then superstars Anil Kapoor and Sridevi.
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 1:08 AM
This list is better, once Mann and Secret Superstar are removed. And D3 is pushed down further.
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 12:55 AM
Nonsense list. Secret Superstar and Talaash don’t deserve to be on this list at all. If it’s personal choice then fine but if box office driven than even Andaz Apna Apna was a flop. Both Secret Superstar and Talaash are plus films. There are worse Aamir films from early 90’s. The worst is Mela.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2018 at 1:07 AM
My list doesn’t have Talaash, while was a good film, though not amongst the best of Aamir’s film.
Secret Superstar – yes, though not his worst.
The worst may differ from person to person just as we saw the best film also differed.
So please don’t be furious.
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 3:34 AM
I think films like Afsana Pyar Ka, Tum Mere Ho and Baazi were poor films as well. But most of the poor films are late 80s and early 90s.
The best spell has been from the Lagaan, DCH, TZP, RDB, Ghajini and 3 Idiots period. All wonderful films indeed. Marvellous decade from Aamir in terms of quality of his films.
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 12:38 AM
‘Thugs Of Hindostan’ is an epic disappointment!
By Taran Adarsh, Nov 13, 2018 – 9:00 am IST
2018 is clearly a defining year… While SONU KE TITU KI SWEETY, RAAZI, STREE and BADHAAI HO – mid-sized films all – made their investors laugh all the way to the bank, the biggies [not all, but some] have left the film fraternity shocked and speechless.
I’d like to single out two keenly awaited movies here – RACE 3 [Eid release] and THUGS OF HINDOSTAN [Diwali release]. Both starred A-listers and were timed during festivals, but, unfortunately, underperformed at the BO. You cannot misjudge or underestimate the audience these days. Yeh public hain, yeh sab jaanti hain.
It’s more than evident that the moviegoers of today are extremely ruthless and in no mood to splurge on movies they sense / hear is substandard. In this era of social media, the word of mouth spreads faster than fire and messages / memes posted on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube can make or break a movie within hours.
THUGS OF HINDOSTAN is the costliest movie to come out of the premium production house Yash Raj Films. A banner that’s synonymous with some incredible, memorable movies. A banner that’s known for quality cinema. The late Yash Chopra and his enterprising son Aditya Chopra are not known to compromise on quality. And YRF didn’t compromise this time either.
Ditto for Aamir Khan. The name itself makes you await his movie with bated breath. His penchant for perfection coupled with the fact that he opts for stories that defy stereotype are two factors that have made Aamir a brand to reckon with.
Business-wise, Aamir is the founder of INR 100 cr Club [GHAJINI], INR 200 cr Club [3 IDIOTS] and INR 300 cr Club [PK]. Then, of course, there’s DANGAL, which is the highest grossing *Hindi* film [BAAHUBALI-2 holds the record as the highest grosser ever, but it was dubbed in Hindi]. Aamir is at the peak of his career.
So what should one expect from the film that teams Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan for the first time ever, is produced by the Numero Uno production house [Yash Raj], is the most expensive Hindi film to date, is timed during Diwali vacations and has the widest release ever for a Hindi film? You expect the film to set new benchmarks at the ticket widows, right?
THUGS OF HINDOSTAN was expected to open big and it did smash records from East to West and from North to South on Day 1. Sadly, the film lacked the power to attract audiences in hordes on subsequent days and the decline in biz clearly proved that the content was rejected.
As things stand today, THUGS OF HINDOSTAN is likely to fold up between INR 150 cr and INR 175 cr, which is a huge disappointment. PK [2014] grossed INR 340 cr+, while DANGAL [2016] grossed INR 385 cr+ at India BO, while 3 IDIOTS grossed INR 200 cr+ way back in 2009, nine years ago. If THUGS OF HINDOSTAN – which is a much bigger film in scale and has the widest release ever for a *Hindi* film – folds up under INR 175 cr, it means something has gone drastically wrong somewhere.
Of course, the makers have recovered a substantial chunk of investment from Satellite and Digital deals, besides fetching a hefty MG amount from China, but the fact cannot be denied that THUGS OF HINDOSTAN is an epic disappointment as far as the theatrical biz is concerned.
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/box-office-business-talk/thugs-of-hindostan-is-an-epic-disappointment/
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 12:55 AM
Can you please post such things in the box-office thread? At least let’s let this one be a sane thread. Please.
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 1:05 AM
I am unable to post in any other thread. 😦
I will wait till the issue is resolved.
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 1:08 AM
Sorry. Didn’t know about that. Just didn’t want this thread also to go in an endless loop…
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2018 at 1:29 AM
‘It’s more than evident that the moviegoers of today are extremely ruthless and in no mood to splurge on movies they sense / hear is substandard. In this era of social media, the word of mouth spreads faster than fire and messages / memes posted on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube can make or break a movie within hours.’
It will have an impact and in a scenario like this the impact might be bigger. The intensity of dislike is at a very high level.
The scenario is highly different to a Race 3 as Salman’s ‘core’ base are turning up for him and I’ve explained that outside of this core people only watch a Race 3 if it’s exception like Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The reverse happens with Aamir – his ‘core’ is smaller and his reach is a combination of other star fans so if the movie is a dud it will fall harder. If it’s a winner it will score higher.
Aamir is like a well oiled Barcelona side. When Barcelona are at their best everyone contributes. But that ‘level’ is running at 95% or above. The moment a weakness is spotted the team capitulates. It’s a trademark of any Guardiola side. It happened to Enrique Vs Bayern, Guardiola Vs Madrid, Guardiola Vs Liverpool, Valverde Vs Roma. All these teams played the Barcelona way, high intensity football but if the intensity is failing the whole strategy gets walloped.
TOH has got walloped as the sum of parts just didn’t add up to anything substantial. Social media extenuated the failings further. WOM then killed the film.
This is also why Dangal worked huge. Pre release reviews were great and it was positive WOM going into theatre and that was confirmed leaving theatre too.
It’s just a multiplier effect.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2018 at 2:40 AM
I am quite intrigued with Aamir’s decision to start a seven part series.
I am from previous generation, so the idea was quite alien to me and should my displeasure.
However, i am quite in tune with the technology, esp AI and Automation. So i decided to understand the prospects of TV series a bit more from the future point of view and i was pleasantly surprised.
Now i think Aamir is making a right move with a brilliant concept.
So is TV bigger than Cinema now?
10 reasons why today’s TV is better than movies
Forget what you’ve read about cinema’s dominance over the small screen. Television has plenty to teach the movies about characterisation, storytelling and breaking new talent
Have you heard the news? The golden age of television is over. It’s true. David Cox said so himself this week, in an article listing all the different ways that film is better than TV now.
Now, I love film. As far as I’m concerned, all film – good and bad – has some level of intrinsic worth. I like David Cox, too. I’ve met him and he seems like a perfectly decent man. But he’s catastrophically wrong here. I write about both film and television but, if I had to pick sides, I’d go with television every single time. Television, especially the television that’s being produced now, is wiping the floor with film. It’s kicking film’s arse. Here’s why.
1. Longform storytelling
When applied correctly, the elongated storytelling opportunities afforded by television trump cinema’s frayed reliance on the drudgery of 90-minute three-act plots. Breaking Bad showed a character transforming over two years of his life in a way that could never be achieved in film. The Killing dedicated 20 hours to a single murder case. And look at The Returned or Buffy the Vampire Slayer – they both began in cinemas as easily forgettable fluff, but couldn’t blossom as world-beaters until they discovered the time and space that television offered them.
2. TV is (currently) less franchise-fixated
Hollywood is increasingly reliant on brand recognition, churning out endless sequels and spinoffs and reboots because it’s easier than marketing an original idea. TV, meanwhile, is far more eager to take a punt on something new. Admittedly there are clouds on the horizon – we’re already got an Avengers TV show, and soon we’ll have spin-offs of Modern Family, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and possibly Dexter to sift through for signs of life – but for now, TV retains the upper hand.
3. TV still has the power to surprise
At its best, a TV show can be freeform, veering from comedy to thriller to horror and back again. Films, with their desperate need to be marketed properly, tend to simplify to sell. A show such as Breaking Bad didn’t have those constraints. Even though one episode made you laugh, the next could have you hyperventilating with abject fear. Every moment of that show was a rollercoaster, and a uniquely televisual one at that.
4. Word of mouth
Again, look at Breaking Bad. That show started small and, thanks to new distribution methods as well as near-rabid word-of-mouth from evangelists who’d seen it and loved it, it ended up a juggernaut. What’s the last film you can say that about? Paranormal Activity? That was years ago and, given the studio’s determination to suck its bones dry with endless sequels, even that wasn’t such a great idea.
5. Actors do their best work on TV
Because television is increasingly becoming a writer’s medium, it is attracting the best acting talent. Actors who would have run from television a decade ago are now embracing it precisely because the quality is so high. Now the letdown comes when actors move from TV to film. Michael Chiklis followed his bruising performance in The Shield by playing a turd-shaped superhero. Idris Elba followed The Wire by making a ropey thriller with Beyoncé. Aaron Paul’s first role after his towering turn as Jesse Pinkman is in a movie of a computer game about some cars. No wonder everyone from Al Pacino to Kevin Spacey is returning to the small screen.
6. The British excel at TV
The state of British TV is leagues ahead of British film. With a couple of notable exceptions – mainly in the form of soggy Richard Curtis romcoms – the latter is still stuck in the same old kitchen-sink/council-estate mould that it seems unable to escape. Meanwhile, Downton Abbey, Top Gear and Doctor Who are fast becoming truly global sensations, and then there all the formats that the UK has sold around the world. Remember, in Slovakia Come Dine With Me is called Without A Napkin.
7. British actors have ruled US TV for years
One of David’s points was that Kate Winslet is often called upon to be an American in films. That’s nothing – you barely watch any American TV show at all without seeing a homegrown actor elongating their vowels. Breaking Bad had Laura Fraser. Homeland has Damian Lewis (and David Harewood). The Wire had Idris Elba and Dominic West. House had Hugh Laurie. Sons of Anarchy has Charlie Hunnam. The Walking Dead has Andrew Lincoln and David Morrissey. This could be because they’re brilliant actors, or it could be because they’re cheaper than hiring real Americans. Either way, it still counts.
8. The bond with characters
The intimacy of television, combined with the amount of time that actors spend in specific roles, means that viewers can become far more invested in television characters than film characters. This is especially true in the case of soap operas, where characters become your extended family and announcers have to read out helpline numbers after heavy storylines.
9. The biggest film stars of tomorrow are on TV now
Bruce Willis started on TV. Alec Baldwin started on TV. Will Smith started on TV. Robin Williams and George Clooney and Eddie Murphy and Tom Hanks got their big breaks on TV. And this is how it’ll always be – television’s lower budgets and faster turnaround times make it a brilliant breeding ground for future movie stars. To watch TV is to watch bright young things get discovered by the world. People might see their films as the icing on the cake, but their TV breakthrough will always be the most exciting part of their careers.
10. TV made Netflix/Prime successful
Netflix/Prime is changing the way we consume media. But nobody subscribes for the films, unless they want to watch Jerry Maguire or The Craft for the billionth time. Instead, people use Netflix to devour TV shows in such droves that it’s even started to commission its own. And, Hemlock Grove aside, they’re all pretty brilliant. Netflix has become so important for TV that the makers of Breaking Bad have credited it for the show’s success. In fact, if I’m being honest, another writer will beat both David and me hands down when they write: “10 reasons why Netflix trumps film and TV.”
Source of inspiration: Guardian
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 2:42 AM
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2013/oct/23/10-reasons-tv-better-movies
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 2:51 AM
TV will give Mahabharata creative freedom. Netflix won’t have to deal with politics the way cinemas would. And ultimately Netflix will be serious and investment will be professional. If official this is fantastic news. Aamir can tuck himself away out of the limelight and create waves on TV instead. If it works, Bollywood stars will go to TV, this has happened in Hollywood too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2018 at 5:19 AM
I disagree. Cinema is still the best medium. Stars like Aamir should still be seen on the big screen.
I would have loved it if Aamir would have brought MB to cinema theaters. Nothing can beat that.
There is an audience out there for webseries or Netflix. But watching an epic with fantastic visuals in IMAX or 3D is something else.
Who cares to watch Avengers or Mission Impossible on a laptop? These are films made to be watched on the big screen.
I hope to see Aamir on the big screen again soon enough. Big stars can work occasionally on tv series or on a webseries. But cinema screens remain the best medium for a grand cinematic experience and the big stars belong there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2018 at 5:36 AM
Till news is confirmed, my 2 cents;
This is a very safe option. Bring it to the small screen, create a fanbase from that and if successful it can always be converted into an oncreen extravaganza, some ofshoot movies based on the same footage from TV or new footage. It will this way have backing from Netflix subscribers who will probably turn up to watch it onscreen such is the story. I would watch LOTR on Netflix and turn up onscreen too. As long as the execution is sound. I won’t predict that as TOH was a mess overall.
But all this only matters if Aamir confirms it otherwise it’s just a rumour.
Going to cinema first might create unnecessary noise. Here Netflix is a big global company and fringe complaints will not harm Aamir at all. He has free reign to do as he pleases.
X Files had 5 series and then a pretty successful film that continued the arc and then went back to series. There are many options here. He could toggle between both. Obviously don’t be Firangi about it but set a logical plan around the entire project. X number of series, no films or Y films. Everyone can be on board of course those with Netflix can be watching it all.
TV to movie happens a lot. Superhero movies is a classic example.
A Friends movie would have worked.
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 8:11 AM
To see Aamir’s MB I would fly to any place in the world. He loves to make movies for the big screen and I love to see his movies there.
Now neither a small content film like SeSu nor an entertainer like TOH worked in India. This makes MB more probable. Aamir will follow his dreams, what will he wait for? For the boycott of his next film? I would rather have 7 new stories from him, but he will fulfill his dream, now or later.
Aamir would have a big problem bringing MB to the cinemas in India. There will be controversies. A small inaccuracy or even a mistake would be fatal. It is logical to go other ways. I also very much regret that. No big screen. My friends in India often only have the small smartphone screen on which they could see it. Many also don’t have access to Netflix or Amazon, and even if they do, it’s limited to the region. I have Netflix, but SeSu is still not visible in German-speaking countries! If there is no DVD/Blurayrelease anymore (as with SeSu) and no normal TV broadcast in India, MB will not be accessible for many who follow Aamir’s work. These are unfortunately today’s realities.
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 10:53 PM
Agree with many. This is disappointing for me personally if MB is restricted to web version. We already have great Mahabharat series from 80’s; there’s no point to make another one unless its a movie version.
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 10:38 AM
Saw ten minutes of KWK, Aamir bahut zyada Me, myself and I, I , I karta hai…
IMO thoda jhatka zaroori tha !!
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2018 at 11:04 AM
Aap ko dekh ke main bahut khush hua 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
November 13, 2018 at 12:46 PM
Zarra Nawazi ka shukriya Bliss.
However hopefully this is Rocky 2.00,Ignoring and not engaging with and / or getting into arguments with Aaptards, Commies, libtards et all.
Not worth it .
As Sanjay Dutt said in Naam- kuch din pehley tak main apney aap ko insider samajhta thaa, magar ab sab kuch badal chukka hai,
P.S.-That one scene for whatever reason has stayed with me ever since I watched Naam 25 years back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 13, 2018 at 10:51 PM
Rocky: I don’t know what happened between you and others but I don’t think you should leave the forum. Folks like me can go and come but you are one of the older members and should stick around. If you don’t like you can reduce your participation and posting than leaving.
Btw, even I’m not on same page as your political views but that’s another matter!
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 7:22 AM
Thanks Master for the kind words. I too enjoy your deep filmi anecdotes from yesteryears.
LikeLike
November 13, 2018 at 10:31 PM
Aamir Khan Will Begin Recruiting For Mahabharata Soon: Report
As Thugs Of Hindostan completes its run at the theatres, Aamir Khan is gearing up for his next ambitious project – the much talked about Mahabharata, said a report in Filmfare. The 53-year-old actor will reportedly fly off to the US soon to begin work on the seven-part web-series. “All set to work on a seven part long web series, Mahabharata, Aamir will be flying down to the USA to ideate on the project and bring it to life,” said the Filmfare report. Aamir Khan will also reportedly be in charge of assembling the cast and begin recruiting for the web-series, which is currently in a nascent state.
“He will also be working on the core team and start recruitment for his big budget production of the Indian epic,” the Filmfare report added. Aamir, who first revealed he would love adapt Mahabharata for a web-series last year, however, was quoted as saying at NDTV Yuva Conclave this year that “Main Mahabharat nahi bana raha hun. Filhaal main sirf Thugs Of Hindostan pe kaam kar raha hun,” but work on Thugs Of Hindostan is well over now, right?
Earlier this year, Baahubali maker SS Rajamouli confessed that he’s looking forward to recreating Mahabharata around the same time when reported details about the web-series began cropping up on the Internet. Aamir Khan also promptly expressed his desire to collaborate with SS Rajamouli. Meanwhile, there was massive outrage on social media following reports that Aamir may portray the role of Lord Krishna or Karan in the web-series because he’s Muslim. Reportedly to be made on a whopping budget of Rs. 1,000 crores, the project is said to be co-produced by Reliance boss Mukesh Ambani.
Meanwhile, Aamir Khan is said to have come on board for a biopic made on self-styled godman Osho. He is also producing a biopic on slain T-Series boss Gulshan Kumar. However, there’s been no official confirmation from Aamir Khan about his future projects.
Aamir’s Thugs Of Hindostan, which hit screens on November 7, has made over Rs. 123 crore so far despite the collections taking a sharp downward plunge opening day onwards.
https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/thugs-of-hindostan-done-aamir-khan-will-begin-recruiting-for-mahabharata-soon-report-1946476
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 5:23 AM
I am still not convinced about predictability of Chinese Box Office.
Secret Superstar doing more than Dangal or Baahubali 2 is in no way a sign of choosing better cinema. These films were for global audience, ideally they should be highest grosser.
A secret superstar for me is like Rehmaan winning an oscar for Jai Ho song, quite clearly not his best or even among his top 10 all time hits (or maybe after he won the oscar). I am not fond of SS and am a huge fan of Baahubali and Dangal, so my views can be considered biased.
So I would say the success of SS was a Tukka. I will take the BO of other genuine movies more as true indicator. In true sense Dangal, Hindi Medium and Hickhi is more on predictable line. Here Hichki was well made but was not a true blue hit. It did good HIT business and this gives more confidence on the acceptability.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 5:38 AM
I don’t think the claim is Secret Superstar is better cinema. It’s just China can relate to the theme more. And after Dangal it was the perfect follow up. Haven’t seen Hindi Medium but have seen Hitchki. Again the latter is much more about relating to the film. Each film has strong female protagonists and they ultimately achieve goals in the face of adversity. Even CDI would find an audience. This is what I mean by selective bias. China has been fed by in large the film’s that make sense to be fed according to their market demands.
TOH will be much more a case study on Aamir Khan’s starpower there but let’s see as it is unpredictable by what Marcus has shown as to what films have done well there but not elsewhere. Plus the user ratings so far seem better their than on IMDb. It might be a smash and grab in China for TOH or it might find a steadier audience – but most of this rests on Aamir’s shoulders right now. YRF can count themselves lucky that they can still get a ‘bonus’ despite the rest of world mauling. It would be better for Aamir to negotiate his own films directly with Chinese distribution until the Chinese warm to all kinds of Indian cinema.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 5:44 AM
I expect Aamir to fly to China in Jan to promote TOH. He may actually give more interviews to Chinese media than he gave to the indian media for TOH promotions.
The last POTC made a cool 175m there in 2017. Chinese dont mind Jack Sparrow nor did they mind the eccentric Shakti Kumar in SS. They probably will mind the unrealistic OTT ‘herogiri’ in our masala!
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 5:48 AM
The only other stand out film is Bajrangi Bhaijaan. This was heavily promoted via Aamir memes and a neutral audience not averse to star mania may have seen this more as Munni’s triumph than Salman’s (in any case this is a lost and found on a little girl – you’d have to be cold blooded not to find this story at least endearing). Sultan wilted which suggests a 2nd major Indian star has yet to emerge for Chinese audiences.
Even the PK numbers are better than any non Aamir film as they were achieved without a huge female protagonist or character.
LikeLike
November 15, 2018 at 2:23 AM
@jashah plus pk was done 3 and a half years back when Indian movies had almost zero visibility(Aamir though had little) and market size was hardly 40-45% of current size.So PK in adjusted terms is still bigger than any non Aamir movie in China.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 6:30 AM
My problem in understanding CBO is this-
If ToH is a HIT in China then it will be because Aamir is a huge star.
If ToH is a flop in China then it will be because movie was bad, hence rejected even in China.
There will be no clear understanding of China Box Office. (CBO)
To be really a force to reckon with, CBO needs to be predictable. Just like US or UK or UAE market for Hindi cinema is quite predictable, any serious market should be.
I am getting one thing clear – China is a big market for women driven stories, esp if it is around women empowerment and upliftment or their courage. Recent successes proves this theory.
Ofcourse Aamir’s stardom is in isolation as out of the recent successes, most have starred him. But i am also interested in understanding more about the market from the point of view of economics for hindi films.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 6:44 AM
Even hollywood analysts dont get it dude! More often than not i see them scratching their head … Its an unpredictable market to them, but a major one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 14, 2018 at 5:30 PM
OK then China BO is a lottery then. Lagi to lagi nahin to …
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 8:20 AM
I think they are on the right track for China release …
**************
According to reports, the epic action-adventure will release in China next month and the makers are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that the film makes big bucks in the East Asian country.
A report by Bollywood Hungama claims that to suit the needs of the Chinese audience, the roles of Amitabh Bachchan and Fatima Sana Shaikh have been cut short in the Chinese version of Thugs of Hindostan. On the other hand, Aamir’s screen time in the film has been lengthened dramatically to make his character look meatier and more prominent. The makers, in fact, have gone to the extent of including certain deleted scenes in the Chinese version that did not feature in the original.
“Fatima, as the central point of drama, did not really work at the box-office, hence the decision to change that. And with Aamir’s role being enhanced, it will be even easier for the makers to edit the film accordingly,” a source has been quoted in the report as saying.
The report also claims that the Chinese version of Thugs of Hindostan will be 30-40 minutes shorter than the domestic version. Its total run time is expected to be a little over two hours.
https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment/news/bollywood-news/article/sidharth-malhotra-to-reunite-with-rakul-preet-for-milap-zaveris-marjaavan/313748
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 8:39 AM
BH report – http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/scoop-roles-amitabh-bachchan-fatima-sana-sheikh-cut-short-china-release-thugs-hindostan/
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 12:40 PM
If they can get TOH 2.0 to work well in china, then maybe YRF can think of making a web series on Firangi.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 11:45 PM
Hoping that Aamir wud sit through these edits and plan for a wekk of China promotional tour before going to LA to ideate MB.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 11:11 AM
News from the grapevine is that Aamir Khan has signed Victor to direct 3 out of the 7 parts for Netflix.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 11:15 AM
Cannot go wrong then….
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 3:21 PM
aamir shares 70% of revenue of theatrical, satelite, overseans, music and everything YRF got – they have made a huge money on all that + China mkt….
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 3:33 PM
Contracts are not this dumb to include everything. Maybe YRF gave bank access to their bank and told Aamir to take as much as he needs!
Either way, I don’t want to debate on this also..
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 3:56 PM
All reports say it was a profit share deal. The 70-30% split or on other sources it’s 50-50%, so if true it’s nothing for 2 years work.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 9:34 PM
YRF has pocketed cool 400 cr (incl. China) so if u take out 100 cr production etc (i bet althose 150-250 cost are inflated no). – still they have 300 cr in hand – in the worst case, they earned 200 cr – aamir takes 70% of it still YRF has made 60 cr. But I can tell that they have made much more money and production etc. was not that expensive.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 11:54 PM
The rights fetched around 150cr all inclusive and China fetched 20mn…but I wont be surprised if a large part of 150 cr will be renegotiated or will be used to fund distributor losses…for example there is no way Amazon will pay 70cr for this now or the music and tv3rights wont fetch the same amount…regarding the 20mn MG, a MG is given assuming movie does an x amount in China…I dont know how China works but I assume if 20mn is cost the total collection has to be atleast 40 to 50.mn to earn back the 20mn for the purchasing party…like how it is in India.. maybe people who understand China better can comment..in the end I see even yrf will end up losing here if they do refund the sub distributor and exhibitors..even otherwise due to renegotiations…the budget including P and A is 240crs…
LikeLike
November 15, 2018 at 2:05 AM
Idea no offense but it doesn’t work like that. Making 400 cr profit from such a flop movie in such a cut throat industry is easier than done.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 3:32 PM
Hindi film makers look down upon the masala and overblown emotions displayed in Baahubali 2.
As so much talk about masala, I remembered this article fro BOI about the conviction which Hindi film makers have lost.
https://boxofficeindia.com/report-details.php?articleid=3018
“There will be talk about if the content is great then the records will be smashed but its not exactly about CONTENT here but CONVICTION. There is a type of storytelling which delivers huge numbers which we have seen with Dangal or Bajrangi Bhaijaan and then you add the formula cinema with melodrama which Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Dangal have but subtly. A Bahubali – The Conclusion celebrates this cinema unabashedly without subtly and thats the difference. The content of Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Dangal cannot be faulted in any. Bahubali 2 is basically on the lines of a Suraj (1966) or a Dharam Veer (1977) and many others where a prince goes to a neighboring area and falls in love with a princess who is loved by a joker prince. The prince proves to be the hero and wins the girl and brings her back but his family members have stirred up trouble and he looses his crown which he has to get back. Its a simple story done many times in the history of our cinema.
This sort of cinema today needs conviction more than at any other time as there is a very fine line of it falling flat on its face and being ridiculed or becoming Bahubali – The Conclusion and the fact is that no filmmaker in the Hindi film industry will have this conviction as won’t believe in this cinema, and if you don’t believe in it then you can’t make the audience believe. The great filmmakers of Hindi cinema like Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor, Raj Khosla, Manmohan Desai and Manoj Kumar had this conviction and that is why they had such huge blockbusters similar to Bahubali 2 – The Conclusion. These guys must have around 10-12 films between doing 4-5 crore footfalls or even more. There were no other forms to watch films then like television or video but this is equaled up by the fact that the population has doubled since then.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 14, 2018 at 5:29 PM
Wonderful comment here.
I miss Raj Kumar Santoshi as his movies was masala tonic for me.
Hindi cinema has surely lost it.
The likes of new directors like Ayan Mukherji, Luv Ranjan or Rohit Shetty are allmaking inspired films….because they don’t have their own conviction.
In South even if we leave aside greats like Rajamouli or Shankar there are many others like Krish, Murugadoss, etc who still bring their vision.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 11:35 PM
definitely a smart move. Mahabharat as a story has the potential to be grander and more larger than life than the biggest Hollywood has come with — on par with LOTR or even better, because it has the scope and character depth than the self-righteous Ramayana where they have clearly defined lines of good and evil. Only Ravana has some scope for some exploring: he embraced his negative side and never flaunted his goodness.
I find Mahabharat morally ambiguous too, especially involving the Pandavas and plays on a pure psychological level. It is also a nod to the Pandavas’ hypocrisy and Kauravas ultimately have the last laugh when they attain heaven despite their treachery. Much of its politics and social commentary is quite relatable in the current era. When dealt with a modern twist, it can be subject of great wonder, if only we had the zeal and dedication to make something magnificent and if the people in power allow the realization of the ambitious project and in the way the filmmaker wants. Even then a majority of people would be ready to either create controversy or stand by the controversy, because they take pride in the moral goodness of the story, which it is anything but.
The joke would be on people who think Mahabharat would be tarnished by a “muslim” man. Because it is already a flawed effort. But a grandiose and beautiful one at that.
LikeLike
November 14, 2018 at 11:43 PM
Aye, aye … and Firangi would say – “Jai Shambhu !”
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 15, 2018 at 10:04 AM
ha ha …
LikeLike
November 15, 2018 at 12:30 AM
Aamir’s interview from nov 2003, when he was preparing for a comeback with Mangal Pandey.
************
“In the 1950s and 1960s, Indian cinema was making really good stuff, but in the late 1960s and 1970s there was a gradual decline and the late 1970s and 1980s, things could hardly have been worse. Finally, in the late 1980s, some better films started being made again, using music, but using it with some sensibility. A bunch of people got into film who were completely fed up with the sort of films coming out. It was like, ‘F— you. We can’t stomach this any longer.'”
http://www.guyanaundersiege.com/Bollywood/Aamir%20Turk.htm
LikeLike
November 15, 2018 at 7:53 AM
https://theprint.in/culture/after-amazon-netflix-agrees-to-censor-its-content-in-india/149976/
Netflix Amazon both to come under censors..
LikeLike
November 15, 2018 at 8:07 AM
They should be sent Power series. It will be returned with everything practically censored. What a bunch of prudes while the population in India booms how exactly?
LikeLike
November 15, 2018 at 9:41 AM
Damn…
LikeLike
November 15, 2018 at 11:15 AM
We need to be patient..7 more months and maybe we can say bye bye to the miserable bjp
LikeLike
November 15, 2018 at 2:05 PM
That’s a bit optimistic at this point — even if they lose a majority it is hard to see the NDA not securing a majority (there’s also the likelihood that the TRS in Telengana and some formation in TN could join them too); and survey after survey shows that while Modi’s popularity is lower than it used to be he remains by far the most popular Indian politician — and in 2019 there would be a repeat of the 2014 “Presidential-style” campaign. So I think Modi/NDA are still favorites to return in 2019 IMO.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 15, 2018 at 3:20 PM
aapkey mooh mein Tundey key kabob and Kesar Dhaba kee kheer.
LikeLiked by 2 people
November 15, 2018 at 3:41 PM
LOL — tunday aren’t my favorites but I will take ‘em!!!!!
LikeLike
November 15, 2018 at 11:41 AM
Aaj mausam bada BeImaan hai, aaj mausam ….
https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2018/11/15/netflix-denies-report-saying-that-it-has-agreed-to-censor-content-in-india_a_23590459/?ncid=other_whatsapp_catgqis0hqm&utm_campaign=share_whatsapp
Earlier today, The Print published a story stating that Netflix India has agreed to self-regulate content on its streaming platform after a meeting with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry that was held on 25 October.
HuffPost reached out to Netflix with a detailed questionnaire asking whether representatives of the American streaming giant were present in such a meeting and if they’ve agreed to self-regulate.
A spokesperson denied Netflix’s presence in any such meeting.
“The information quoted is inaccurate and entirely false. Netflix was never in this meeting,” the statement said.
LikeLiked by 1 person
November 26, 2018 at 12:50 PM
MB confirmed. Link in BO topic today.
LikeLike
November 26, 2018 at 12:53 PM
Thirty years ago, Puneet Issar was on the wrong side when an epic war was being waged. He’s still on the wrong side.
In 1988, when B R Chopra’s adaptation of the Mahabharat had Indian audiences glued to their television screens, Issar played Duryodhan, the eldest of the Kauravas whose pride and jealousy leads to his ultimate fall.
Exactly three decades later, he returns, again as Duryodhan — only this time on stage.
And he tells the story of the epic battle from the point of view of its greatest villain.
Playing the part of the younger Duryodhan is his son Siddhant, who will portray the gurukul days of the warrior when he was just 16.
Siddhant, 28, recalls the story of his own birth. “‘Congratulations! Young Duryodhan is born,’ was the first thing the nurse told my father at the hospital,” he says.
So powerful was his portrayal of the eldest of the Kauravas that Issar had become synonymous with Duryodhan.
“I was 95 kg when I first played Duryodhan. I am losing weight so that I weigh the same when I play the part again,” says Issar.
His son, meanwhile, is bulking up. The two have scripted the play together.
But while we get to see Duryodhan’s side of the story, it doesn’t mean the outcome changes.
https://www.rediff.com/movies/special/the-mahabharat-from-duryodhans-view/20181124.htm
LikeLiked by 1 person